As is known in the art, printed circuit boards (PCBs) have integrated circuits (ICs) placed on the board. Generally, after populating the PCB with the components, the PCB is tested for proper operation. For example, the PCB may be tested to ensure that all components are operational, are seated properly, and have no fatal soldering defects, such as solder bridges.
In the case where an IC, using mounting technology such as a ball grid array (BGA), must be removed from/added to the board, a particular heating protocol should be followed to effect removal/addition of the BGA without adversely affecting the PCB or neighboring components. More particularly, the solder must be heated based upon the particular characteristics associated with the solder and additionally the unique thermal characteristics of the solder to PCB union. One known machine to rework PCBs ICs is the Onyx 29 rework station by Air-Vac Engineering Company in CT. The Onyx machine, and others like it, require a manual exploration of the various machine parameters (heat rate, time, temperature, pressure and so on) required to effectively solder or unsolder an IC on a particular PCB. This process is functional, however, the Onyx machine lacks statistical process control (SPC) for accuracy and repeatability and requires significant manual operator knowledge and skill to generate a profile for a given IC on a PCB, which requires much time and effort by the operator and other technical personnel. In addition, generation of a profile requires significant trial and error to achieve sufficient control of the machine to effect successful BGA removal/insertion.